Words of Giants teammates motivate Sandoval to get fit

Updated 11:36 pm, Saturday, February 15, 2014

Scottsdale, Ariz. --

Pablo Sandoval has gotten his body into shape. His next fight is staying that way and proving to a skeptical public that he shed his fat for the good of the Giants, not just his bank account in a contract drive ahead of free agency.

Sandoval was unequivocal Saturday when he talked to reporters for the first time this spring.

"I don't care about the contract. I care about the team," he said. "I care about this year trying to win a championship. People are going to say whatever they want. It doesn't matter. I want to help my teammates win games."

Sandoval revealed that many of those teammates implored him toward the end of 2013 to shape up, reminding him how good he was in 2011 when he was thinner and how great he could be.

Buster Posey, Matt Cain, Hunter Pence and Marco Scutaro all approached the Panda. Manager Bruce Bochy had the same talk with Sandoval more times than he cared to count, but when fellow players said it, Sandoval took it to heart.

"I put in my mind I needed to grow up like a person, like a human being, and take my job seriously," Sandoval said. "That's what I did.

"I just wanted to show them that I was a little more mature about my job. I wanted to do all the things so I could do better out there ... those things that people don't trust that I'm going to do."

Bochy was thrilled to hear that some of his players gave Sandoval "the talk."

"Sometimes we can be like parents talking to our kids," Bochy said. "It can go in one ear and out the other. When it comes from teammates, it can mean more. It's a little different message coming from your peers."

Sandoval would not say how much weight he lost, although one report in Venezuela said it was more than 40 pounds.

The Giants wanted him to train in Arizona, where staffers could keep an eye on his workouts and diet. Sandoval said he wanted to prove his maturity by slimming down in Venezuela, where he usually got heavier. His brother, a chef, continued to cook his meals, and he worked with trainer Rafael Alvarez, who helped keep Bobby Abreu in the majors into his late 30s.

Pence called the results "uplifting." He also declined to credit his pep talk with Sandoval, saying, "He did it all. He made the decision. He put the work in. I think you give all the credit to Pablo. It shows that he cares about the team. He cares about being ready to play for us. We're thrilled to see him come in in the shape he's in."

A few years after Cain broke in, he heard the same lectures. Cain was not fat, but his conditioning was lacking and he did not become an elite player until he listened to Bochy, Matt Morris and others who told him what he needed to do to excel in the majors.

So, Cain was heartened to see Sandoval looking trim as camp begins.

"I think everybody's proud of him for what he did," Cain said. "He's a big part of this team, and we needed him to come in ready to go. We'd love for him to be here for a long time. I can't say what's going to happen this year, but this should help him for years to come."

Perhaps as a Giant. Sandoval said that while he is open to discussing a contract extension before the season begins, it is not a priority.